Monday, March 28, 2016

Back from the Road


Last week I drove from Upstate New York to Alabama and back in six days, with three kids and my mother in a cramped, mid-size car.

Here’s what I learned.

A.     Plans that sound all warm and fuzzy while at home may not necessarily be so on the road. Meaning:

1.      Stopping every few hours at various points of interest just isn’t as wonderful as it seems. Especially with three tired, cranky kids. On the road, you just want to get there already.

2.      My kids are very, very loud, especially when going through rush-hour traffic.

3.      I turn into a grizzly when #2 occurs.

4.      The phrase “Are we there yet?” is still in use. Every three miles. And we drove two thousand.

But it was all worth it because…

A.     We were traveling two thousand miles for a reason. My Aunt and cousins live in Alabama

1.      Now my kids get to see how wonderful Aunt Patty is.

a.      Best cook ever.

b.      Drips with southern hospitality.

c.      Wonderful Christian woman.

2.      All of us got to experience a whole new culture (If you’re from New York, that’s what Alabama is).

a.      It was fun watching my youngest daughter trying to pick up the accent. She fell in love with it, along with most of the people there.

B.     I was able to stop in Versailles, one of the settings for The Newstead Saga. For some reason, going to the actual sites is very inspirational for me.

C.     I saw versions of my kids I never knew existed, my son especially. He’s unknowingly hilarious when he’s cranky. Example: When we finally pulled up to my Aunt’s house, my son was the first to roll out of the car, yelling, “I’m never going to Alabama again!” We were greeted with my Aunt’s booming laughter, who had heard every word.


How about you every had a vacation that was wonderful in spite of itself?
 
 

8 comments:

  1. We took trips like that when I was a kid and another favorite saying was 'I'll turn this car around!' Glad you had a good time once you got there.

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  2. We drove to Mississippi to visit my sister when my kids were little. My daughter started getting car sick when we were halfway there. Her three older brothers who always fought who got to sit beside her soon fought about having to sit beside her. It was funny later not so much at the time.

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  3. LOL! I turn grizzly when traffic in front of me refuses to get out of my way.

    I drove from Arkansas to New Mexico with two screaming cats, and then four years later from New Mexico to N. Carolina, also with to screaming cats. THE WHOLE DRIVE!

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  4. I'm with Diane! Wicked road rage right here. I can't wait to take my daughter on family trips! I'm even looking forward to having to say, "I'll turn this car around!" As funny as that sounds...

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  5. Yes, as a child with brother, cousins, aunts and uncles, mom and dad, grandma; then as a parent with my children and my parents; and now my daughter and son and me and my husband with their children as grandparents. And we are planning a big long trip to France and Italy -- and the story goes on! Is a bit of work but love very minute and still remember lots of fight, love, and fun!

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  6. Sounds like a great trip. I'd travel that far to meet your Aunt. She sounds like a very welcoming and happy person to be around. Glad it all went well in the end. Thank you for sharing. Have a lovely weekend.

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  7. That looked like quite an eventful trip. And travelling with kids.. It's a task right? I fear kids, you know :P

    Cheers
    Geets

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  8. lol. I love that Alabama is a whole new culture for New Yorkers.

    I cannot believe you took such a long trip with your children! Kudos to you for surviving! I once drove with my husband and in-laws from Boston to Georgia in 24 hours. Granted that's not 6 days, but I made a life-altering decision right then. NEVER AGAIN. :) I imagine it's different when you are stopping to see the sights, but I still can't imagine being on that kind of road trip with kids asking "Are we there yet?"

    So – now that all is said and done, will you ever road trip with them again?

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